Tales of the Cooper Clan - Sir Galleth
by supertinagirl6
Summary: Book Three of my story series Tales of the Cooper Clan, Galleth has spent his life trying to win the heart of the lovely princess. Though when she is taken by a mysterious figure, Sir Galleth must task himself to save her, but the only one to help guide him is the tavern wench. Contains Sir GallethxOC
1. Kidnapping

Tales of the Cooper Clan - Sir Galleth

Chapter 1

The sun was shining brightly on England that day, screams of someone crying out that there was a thief filled the air. A gray raccoon with a black beard, wearing a red tunic, silver armor, a blue mask, and brown pants ran across the rooftops of buildings. In one hand he had a lance that instead of the end pointing straight up, it was curved in the shape of a c. In his other hand he had a huge bag of gold. This raccoon was none other than Sir Galleth Cooper. He had just stolen money from a wicked tax collector that was charging so much taxes that the villagers could barely make it. Galleth grinned when he glanced back behind him to see some owl guards chasing him. Quickly he jumped off of the roof and ran up to the village wall. His brown eyes swiftly searched the wall until finally he spotted a silever ring on the wall. He grinned at this as he hooked the curved end of his lance onto the ring. Before the guards could grab him he pulled his body back and catupulated himself to the top of the wall.

"Aha you have once again failed to capture I, Sir Galleth!" he proclaimed before jumping off on the other side of the wall.

Once on the other side of the wall he climbed up on his horse and took off. He grinned in victory as he rode off farther and farther from the village, he was proud that he had managed to pull another successful heist. Galleth actually came from a long line of thieves, but his family line were thieves of honor, only stealing from other thieves. Even his father was a great thief who had pulled of great feats, but unfortunately he was killed in battle by a mysterious enemy. Galleth's mother died a few months after his father's death, she had died of grief. He kept riding until he reached a small town that was ruled by a kind yet stern king, this town was his home. He made his horse stop next to the local tavern, he figured he could reward himself for a successful heist with a nice, refreshing drink. He slowly opened the door to the tavern, noticing the other local eating and drinking.

Galleth sat down at one of the tables, removing his helmet to reveal his slightly shaggy hair. He tapped his brown-gloved fingers on the table as he awaited on of the tavern wenches to come serve him. His ears twitched when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him, he turned to look a this figure and to his shock he saw a gray female raccoon with black hair and brown eyes, wearing a green dress and brown shoes.

"So what shalleth you want?" she asked.

Galleth was so stunned by the female raccoon's appearance that he nearly forgotten what he was there. He blinked his brown eyes a few times and shook his head as he snapped back into reality.

"I shall have the usual drinks thou serveth around here." he replied.

The female raccoon nodded before leaving and coming back with a mug of the usual drink they served around there. Galleth took the mug from her and took a small drink from it, feeling the refreshing liquid run down his throat. Before the tavern wench could leave to serve someone else Galleth stopped her.

"If I may be so bold my fair maiden, might I ask for your name?" he said.

The female raccoon was taken back by this, but she replied "My name is Nicola."

"Nicola, such a lovely name. Well I thanketh thee for the service." Galleth said as he gave her some gold coins.

Nicola was surprised that the male raccoon had given her more gold coins that was needed for the price of the drink. Before she could ask him why he had already left the tavern. She stared down at the gold coins in her hand that Galleth had given her and closed her fingers over them, she wouldn't forget the male raccoon in shining armor anytime soon.

Galleth closed the door to the tavern behind him, as he put his helmet back on his head, he had to wonder what caused him to give the tavern wench more money than she needed. He supposed he did it because it was the honorable thing to do. He started to walk away from the tavern until he spotted a male skunk with slightly shaggy hair with a white stripe in it, green eyes, wearing a green tunic, yellow pants, brown boots and gloves, and a red belt. The skunk's name was Eric Le Paradox. In Eric's hands he held a bow and arrow, his fingers tightly grasped the end of the arrow, one his green eyes were squeezed shut to get a good aim at a wooden sign he intended to shoot at. The male skunk took in a deep breath before releasing the arrow, he watched as it flew through the air and completely miss his target, instead the arrow had hit a passerby's foot. The villager screamed in pain as he hopped around, holding his foot that had been injured by the arrow.

Eric first stared in shock at what had happened before clenching his teeth in anger and throwing his bow to the ground. Galleth never understood why the male skunk was so bitter, especially toward him, it made him curious why Eric acted like their rivalry between them lasted for hundreds of years. Eric leaned his head toward the ground, letting out an annoyed sigh at his failed shot. When he turned to grab another arrow, he spotted Galleth causing him to narrow his eyes in hatred.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the almighty thief Sir Galleth. Did thou decide to drop in to mock us less fortunate?" Eric snarled as he grabbed an arrow off of the ground.

"Eric you and I both know I'm not like that. I have no idea what would giveth you that assumption." Galleth replied in a calm tone.

The male skunk snorted in disgust as he got ready to aim another arrow at the wooden sign. As Eric was doing this Galleth had noticed that the male skunk's posture was off. The male raccoon only knew a little bit about archery since as a knight he favored swordplay over archery, but he knew just enough to know that your posture had to be near perfect when you're aiming otherwise you will miss your target. Eric released the arrow once more, watching as it flew through the air, it missed the sign once again except instead of hitting someone in the foot, it had hit a villager in the rear, causing the villager to yelp in pain. The male skunk stared dumbfound that he had managed to miss his target again.

"Perhaps if I may hath give you some help, you will be able to finally hit the intended target." Galleth suggested.

Eric shook his head, snapping back to reality. He sharply turned toward the male raccoon, glaring at him with his green eyes.

"I need no help! Especially not from you!" he yelled before he picked up his bow and arrows and stormed off.

Once the male skunk was gone, Galleth sighed and shook his head, he could never understand the mysterious hatred that Eric harbored for him. Deciding to push the thoughts aside the gray raccoon in armor headed for the castle where there was someone he was dying to see.

Inside the castle Galleth had his helmet removed once as he walked down the long hallway covered in an elegant red carpet and lovely stain-glass windows covering the wall. He kept walking until he reached two large wooden doors at the end of the hallway, these doors were the entrance to the throne room. Galleth quickly checked his reflection that was shown on the suit of armor next to him, he wanted to make sure he looked appropriate before he entered. Once he was finished checking to see he looked alright, he faced the doors and took in a deep breath before entering. Inside he saw the king who was a brown fox with a black beard and brown eyes, wearing a red cape, blue robe,a gold crown, black pant and boots. The king sitting upon his throne grinned, glad to see his most faithful knight, but the king isn't what had Galleth's attention. Sitting next to the king in her own throne was the princess named Angelica. She was an orange fox with blue hair and brown eyes, wearing a long blue dress, a gold tiara, and black slippers.

"Greeting my king and most lovely princess." Galleth said as he kneeled upon the ground.

Upon hearing this Angelica rolled her eyes, for years Galleth had sought after her heart, but she did not feel the same way. Unlike her father she actually knows about the male raccoon's life as a thief ever since the day she spot him sneaking into the village with the jewels he had stolen from a corrupt queen. The king never did find out about Galleth's life as a thief, he only assumed the male raccoon to be a simple knight that eventually became very loyal to him. The reason why Angelica never returned Galleth's feelings is because she wants to uphold the law when she becomes Queen and she refuses to have a relationship with a thief to avoid betraying her policy. She did admit she found him slightly attractive, but she could never picture herself in a relationship with him. In fact she laughed at the very idea of a thief being in a relationship with someone who upholds the law, she believed it to be impossible. The female fox leaned on her hand as she listened to Galleth ramble on about how he single-handed protected the kingdom from any intruders, she knew if he kept that up he would easily get captured by an enemy.

"Very good Sir Galleth! Ha with thou around I have no needth for the other knights!" the king laughed.

Angelica shot up from her postion and exclaimed "Father that's suicide! We can't leave all our protection up to Sir Galleth!"

"Calm my daughter, I was merely joking about the matter. I would never get rid of all the royal knights." the king explained.

The female fox sat back down in her throne and muttered "Perhaps you should leaveth the royal jester to make the jokes, which I am not surprised Sir Galleth is not a jester himself."

Galleth glanced out at the window, noticing the setting sun, he knew it was his time to go.

"I'm afraid I must bid thee farewell. I wish thou a good evening my king and most beautiful princess." Galleth said as he bowed once more.

Angelica silently scoffed at Galleth's words as the male raccoon left the throne room.

Later that night while the entire village slept, a dark figure silently snuck through the town. The figure climbed up one of the castle's wall, silently running past the sleeping guards. The figure made it up to a closed window which lead to the princess' room. The figure pulled out a knife and carefully unlocked the window's lock, once the window was open the figure crept inside. He quietly made his way other to the bed where Angelica slept peacefully. Very carefully the figure reached in his bag and pulled out a cloth. He walked over to the princess' bed, examining her sleeping form for a moment. Finally he slammed his brown-gloved hand down on her mussel to prevent her from screaming. Angelica's eyes snapped wide open as she struggled underneath the figure's grip, trying to scream for help. She kicked her legs like crazy, trying to hit the figure in the head, but every single one of her kicks missed the mysterious intruder. The figure finally managed to tie the gag over Angelica's mouth, causing her screams for help to be muffled.

The next thing the figure did was flip the princess on her stomach and pin her arms behind her back. Very swiftly he pulled out some rope and tied the female fox's wrists together so she wouldn't be able to move them. Once that was done the figure left a note on the bed before throwing Angelica onto his shoulder. Angelica kicked around her legs and tried getting her gag off by shaking her head, she needed to alert the guards that she was being kidnapped. Though no matter how much she tried she wasn't able to stop the figure from jumping out the window with her and landing safely on the castle wall. The figure ran at full speed, he knew despite the fact that he had gagged the female fox, the guard's would still probably hear her sounds of her struggling. He ran past the sleeping guards once more, noticing some of them snorting and their ears twitching when they had heard the sounds of the struggle. The figure jumped off of the wall, landing next to a black horse that was waiting for him. Angelica was thrown on the front of the saddle before the figure climbed on after her. The figure sat behind the female fox and made it where his arms were wrapped around her as he grabbed the reigns to keep her from jumping off. As the figure rode off on his horse, Angelica continued trying to scream for help as she watched the village grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

The next day sounds of panic filled the castle, one of the knight's quickly ran to the throne room with the note the figure had left behind clenched in his hand. In the throne room the king was pacing the room back and forth, growing more worried for his missing daughter. His ears twitched to the sound of the knight slamming the door open. The knight ran up to the king and with a shaky hand he gave him the note. The male fox took the note from his knight and as he began reading his eyes widened in shock. With a stern expression he turned toward the knight, he was enraged at what he had just read and wanted to take immediate action.

"Bring me Sir Galleth now!" he commanded.

The knight nodded in understanding before running out of the throne room. The king look down at the note in his hand once more before clenching his fists in anger.

Galleth was confused why he was being summoned so early in the morning, though he figured it had to be important based on how panicked the knight sent to fetch him looked. Upon entering the throne room the male raccoon noticed the look of grief on the king's face, that was when he knew something terrible must had happened. He slowly took off his helmet and approached the male fox. The king lifted his head when he saw the male raccoon now in the room.

"Ah Sir Galleth I am glad thou has come for I have terrible news." the king said.

Galleth looked around the throne room and that was when he noticed that Princess Angelica was no where to be seen.

"Beg your pardon my king, but where is thy daughter?" the male raccoon.

The king's face saddened upon hearing his daughter be mentioned. He took in a deep sigh, remembering why he had summoned Galleth in the first place.

"That is why you are here Sir Galleth. My daughter Angelica has been taken by Eric Le Paradox." the king said.

Galleth nearly stopped breathing when he heard this, he couldn't believe Eric Le Paradox who has the worst archer in the village managed to actual kidnap the princess and not get caught.

"He left behind this note with his demands." the male fox said as he hand Galleth the note.

The male raccoon took the note and began reading it, seeing how it told that Eric was indeed the one that kidnapped Angelica. On the note Eric had demanded for only want knight to be sent after him and that knight was none other than Galleth himself. The deal was for Galleth to track down the male skunk and duel him, if he won he can take back the princess, if he lost the king would have to pay a huge ransom in order to get his daughter back.

"So that's what kind of game he wants to play." Galleth muttered as he crumbled up the letter.

"Please Sir Galleth, I beg of thee to bring back my daughter safely. I would ignoreth these demands, but I'm afraid of what that scoundrel of a skunk will do to my daughter if I do so." the king begged.

Galleth nodded and he placed back on his helmet.

"Do not worry my king. I sweareth upon my life I shall bring thy daughter back safely! I shall not let Eric Le Paradox even lay on finger on her!" Galleth said before leaving the throne room.

The king let out a deep sigh and turned toward the glass stained window, fear of what was happening to his daughter filled his heart more and more by the second. He just couldn't understand why Eric had kidnapped Angelica when all the male skunk was concerned about was becoming a great archer. His brown eyes glanced down to see Galleth walking across the drawbridge. He hoped his most faithful knight would stay true to his word.

"May fate be with you Sir Galleth Cooper." he said quietly.


	2. The Shadow Woods

Chapter 2

Galleth made his way to the tavern, he needed to gather up on some food for his journey to find the princess. As he asked for some food from one of the people working there a certain tavern wench recognized the male raccoon. She glanced at her hand, remembering generous Galleth was to her the other day when he had given her more gold than what was needed for the drink he had ordered. Taking a deep sigh she walked over to him.

"Hello again." she greeted.

Galleth lifted his head up, noticing the female raccoon. He was a bit surprised to see the female raccoon again, but he knew that he should have expected it since Nicola did work at the tavern.

"Hello again indeed." Galleth replied.

Another tavern wench walked over to the table, handing the knight a bag full of the food he had asked for. Galleth paid the wench before turning back toward Nicola whom's brow was raised in confusion when she saw how much food the male raccoon had asked for.

"Going on a journey?" she asked.

"Actually yes." Galleth started, "If you hadn't heard already, the lovely and beautiful Princess Angelica was taken away by a scoundrels skunk named Eric Le Paradox. I have been tasked to find her and bring her back safely, a task I surely will succeed in."

Nicola eyes widened when she had heard that Eric had kidnapped the princess because she actually knew where he went. One day when she was serving the locals that were eating and drinking in the tavern as usual. He had been sitting at a table with a cloaked figure, she remembered the male skunk promising how he would meet the cloaked figure in the Shadow Woods, one of the most dangerous woods in England. She knew she had to tell Galleth this.

"I know where Eric Le Paradox had taken Princess Angelica!" she exclaimed.

Galleth nearly stopped breathing upon hearing these words before replying "Pray tell! Then tell me where that skunk had taken her!"

"I overheard him while he was drinking with another person about how he was going to meet him in the Shadow Woods. I know for certain that must be where he had taken the princess." Nicola explained.

"Then I must waste no more time. I must rush forward and rescue the fair princess!" Galleth proclaimed.

The male raccoon grabbed the bag of food and his lance, he was about to run out of the tavern until Nicola grabbed him by the arm, preventing him from leaving. Galleth was puzzled about the fact the female raccoon had stopped him from leaving when she knew as well as him what was a stake.

"Wait, I want to cometh as well." she said.

Galleth's eye widen in shock as he pulled his arm out of the tavern wench's grip.

"No, not possible. A maiden such as yourself would never survive the dangers that lurk within the Shadow Woods." he said.

When Nicola heard this, she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in anger.

"Thou will never make it alone in the Shadow Woods! Only a select few know their way around the woods and I happen to be one of them. My father had taught me about the twists and turns that lie within those woods. I will not let you leaveth this tavern without me!" she said in a stern tone.

Galleth was taken back by these words, he couldn't believe how determined Nicola was to go with him, but he couldn't stand the thought of her coming along and possibly getting hurt. He didn't know why, but the thought of harm befalling the female raccoon before him made his heart ache. Though he knew that she did have a point about only a few knew their way around with the dangerous forest known as the Shadow Woods, he wouldn't be able to be any help to Princess Angelica if he was lost in those woods. After much thought with a deep sigh he held out his hand.

"Alright you may accompany me on this quest, but when there is danger and I tell you to hide or run, you must doeth it." Galleth said.

Nicola nodded her head and shook the male raccoon's brown-gloved hand, the deal had been struck and now she would be helping Galleth on his quest to rescue Princess Angelica.

"By the way you never told me your name." she stated.

"My name is Sir Galleth Cooper." he replied.

"Hmm, Galleth. I think I like that name." Nicola said with a smile.

Deep within the Shadow Woods Angelica continued to struggle as Eric rode his horse deeper and deeper into the dangerous forest. The female fox had heard tales about the forest she was now being held captive in, but she never thought she would see it for herself. Though she was thankful that the male skunk had taken her gag off once they were far out of the village. As they continued riding through the forest, Angelica figured that Eric must be one of the few people that knew their way around in the Shadow Woods since he showed no signs of getting lost. Since there was no way she would able to flee home herself unless she wanted to get lost in the forest herself, she decided to find out why the male skunk had taken her captive.

"Exactly why have you broughteth me here of all places?" Angelica asked.

"I needed a place where no one would interfere. This place will insure that no one will be able to cometh to help Sir Galleth Cooper." Eric replied.

"Cooper?! What could you possibly want with him?" the female fox asked.

Though Angelica gasped when she found two green eyes full of anger glaring into her brown eyes.

"It's none of thy business. It's something personal that I do not wish to share with you." Eric snarled.

Finally the male skunk pulled on the reigns of his horse, making it come to a halt. Angelica saw that they had stopped in front of the ruins that were once a large castle. Eric got off of his horse and grabbed the female fox, throwing her over his shoulder once again much to her annoyance. They made there way through the ruins, coming upon a single, wooden door. Using his free hand Eric opened of the door, revealing a single room with some straw in the corner with a blanket over it. There was a window in the room with no glass, but it was too small to climb out of. Eric sat Angelica down on the floor and untied her wrists. The female fox rubbed her wrists, glad to finally be free of her bonds.

"This is where you will be staying until your father pays me the gold I asked for." the male skunk said.

"Wait! I thought you said Sir Galleth was coming here?" she exclaimed.

"You may believe fate is on Cooper's side, but for once it's on my side. There's no way he'll be able to save you, meaning your father will be forced to giveth into my demands." Eric replied before slamming the door behind him.

Angelica bit her lip as she took a look around at the room she would be held in. The blanket she was given was very worn down, meaning it wouldn't provide her with much warmth during any cold nights. With a sigh she sat down on the cold floor, holding her knees to her chest, for once she wished she could see Galleth at that moment.

"Oh Galleth. Please hurry." she thought to herself.

Galleth waited next to his horse as Nicola gathered the things she would be needing for the journey. He still felt uneasy about bringing her, but he reminded himself that the only reason he was bringing her was so that she could help guide him through the Shadow Woods and rescue Princess Angelica. The female raccoon finished placing the last of her supplies in her bag before running up to Galleth. Seeing she was ready the male raccoon climbed up on his horse and held out his hand. Nicola slightly blushed as she took Galleth's hand, she was a bit surprise by his strength as he pulled her up onto his horse. Once on the horse Nicola wrapped her arms around Galleth's waist to stay on the horse, causing the male raccoon's eyes to widen at this.

"So is thou ready to take our leave?" the female raccoon asked.

"Y-Yes, of course." Galleth stuttered a bit, still confused on why the feelings he was feeling just by simply being touched by Nicola.

He shook his head, straightening out his thoughts before grasping the reigns of his horse firmly and taking off. Nicola was a bit startled by the sudden take off, causing her to cling onto Galleth's waists tighter. The male raccoon felt the familiar feelings arising once more, when he thought about it felt similar to the feelings he had whenever he's around the princess except the feelings he felt around Nicola were stronger. He decided to ignore these feelings for now and focus on the task at hand.

They had been riding for a few hours, neither saying a word to each other till finally they found themselves before the Shadow Woods.

"Be careful Galleth, once we enter the forest we risk being attacked by the dangers that lurk with these woods." Nicola warned.

The male raccoon nodded before slowly making his horse walk into the Shadow Woods. As they rode into the forest the two raccoons looked cautiously around the the forest, there was no telling when on of the creatures of the woods would come out to attack. Nicola glanced around at the tall dark trees that were so thick that they actually shielded the sunlight which is why the forest is called the Shadow Woods. They kept slowly making their way through the dark forest until the sounds of growls reached their ears. Galleth steadied his horse since it was getting spooked by these growls, his grip on his lance tightened, he knew they were in for a fight. Nicola silently gasped when she saw out from the shadows emerged large feral wolves. The wolves snarled as they slowly approached the two raccoons, their sharp teeth dripping with saliva. Thinking fast Galleth handed the reigns to his horse to Nicola before jumping off of his horse.

"Galleth what are you doing?!" the female raccoon exclaimed.

"Get to safety while I holdeth off these deadly wolves!" Galleth yelled as he got his lance in an attacking position.

Nicola understood, remembering that part of her deal with Galleth was to get to safety whenever he told her to do so. She hesitated at first, but finally she jerked on the reigns to the horse, making the horse run to safety. The wolves snarled as they encircled Galleth, baring their teeth and claws as they got ready to attack the male raccoon. Finally one of the wolves lunged for Galleth, luckily the male raccoon was able to jump over the wolf and smash his lance straight down on his head. The wolf yelped from getting hit and slid across the ground. Two more wolves attacked upon seeing this, Galleth managed to knock one away by whacking it with his cane, but the other wolf managed to bite down on the male raccoon's arm. Galleth clenched his teeth in pain, he was thankful that his armor prevented the wolf from doing too much damage. Using all of his strength he knocked away the wolf that had bitten his arm. The wolf shook his head from being hit before throwing his head back and howling loudly.

Galleth was confused by this until he saw he was surrounded by more wolves. As they attacked them he kept swinging and stabbing with his lance, trying to knock away as many as he could. Finally one of the wolves knocked Galleth's lance out of his hand and when he tried to get it back that tackled his to the ground. The male raccoon struggled as the wolves clawed and bit him, he kept reaching out for his lance, it was his only weapon he could use to fight off the wolves with, making him wish he had brought a sword as well. Nicola had been watching the battle from a safe distance like Galleth had told her, she felt like her heart was being torn apart as she watched the male raccoon get hurt as he kept trying to reach his lance. She couldn't bare to watch any longer, thinking fast she got off if Galleth's horse and made a run for the lance.

Galleth's brown eyes widen when he saw Nicola running straight for his lance, he tried to yell out for her to turn back, but it was too late, the wolves had already spotted her. By the time Nicola picked up Galleth's lance she found herself surrounding by wolves, in attempt to protect herself she swung the lance back and forth frantically. She kept doing this till one of the wolves snapped their jaw down on the lance and pulled it out of her grip. The lance flew through the air and landed near Galleth, but it was still out of his reach. Nicola tried to run to get the lance again, but one of the wolves snagged her by her dress, yanking her down to the ground. She screamed as she tried to get out of the wolf's grip, but she didn't notice one other wolf nearing her with it's teeth bared. Nicola turned just in time to see the wolf was mere centimeters from her face, not sure what else to do she screamed and tried shielding herself with her arm.

Galleth clenched his teeth as he watched the sight unfold before him. Anger filled him rapidly at the thought of one of the wolves hurting Nicola and that anger was actually giving him inner strength he didn't even know he had. With a yell of rage he knocked the wolves off of him and grabbed his lance. Quickly he swung his lance, knocking away the wolves around the female raccoon. Nicola stared in shocked as Galleth stood over her protectively, his teeth clenched tightly as he glared at the wolves. When the wolves attacked Galleth charged forward, fighting viciously, showing absolutely no mercy to the wolves. He fought and fought, his silver armor beginning to be covered in crimson blood. After a while of fighting the wolves finally fled out of fear. Galleth took in deep breaths as he dropped his lance to the ground, he claw and bite marks all over his body, his wounds were bleeding badly and had the risk of getting infected. He turned toward Nicola, relieved to see the female raccoon was okay before passing out on the ground.

Nicola rushed over to Galleth, placing her hand over her mouth when she saw how badly injured the male raccoon was. Using her strength she managed to get Galleth's body up and support him on her. She managed to walk with the male raccoon's body over to his horse and lean his body over the horse's back. Once that was down Nicola grabbed the horse by it's reigns and began leading it to a location that she knew was a bit safer than the point they were in the Shadow Woods.

Galleth groaned as he opened his brown eyes to find himself staring up at the trees. He sat up to see his armor and tunic had been taken off. He looked around to see his horse tied to a tree trunk and Nicola sitting next to a fire. The female raccoon turned toward him and sighed in relief when she saw that Galleth was awake.

"Oh thank goodness you're awake. I was beginning to grow worried." Nicola said as she walked over to him.

"Pardon me for sounding rude, but whatever did happen to my armor and tunic?" Galleth said, feeling a bit odd that Nicola was able to see his bare chest.

"I had them removed so I could tend to your wounds. Thou was badly hurt wheneth protecting me. I'm so sorry that had happened, I should have known there would be wolves near by when my father had taught me about this forest." she said as she sat down next to the male raccoon.

Galleth felt a bit sad at seeing Nicola upset about what had happened, he glanced down at his chest that had diffent bite marks, claw marks, and scars from previous battles, he did not blame her for them, he had only wanted to make sure she was safe. Without thinking he placed his hand on her back and began rubbing it in and up and down motion.

"Nicola I am grateful for what you have done, you have helped me so now I am in your debt. No matter what I promiseth that I shalleth be there to protect thee." he said.

"I know you are grateful, but I can't stand you to get hurt Galleth and I'll feel even worse if I were the reason you got hurt in the first place. I can't have you protecting me all because of your honor." Nicola replied.

Galleth silently grasped the female raccoon by her chin, turning hear head where it faced his, causing their eyes to meet. The male raccoon was shocked as he stared into Nicola's brown eyes, he couldn't believe how beautiful he found them. He considered Princess Angelica's eyes lovely as well, but he wasn't drawn to them like he was to Nicola's. The female raccoon was confused when Galleth wasn't saying anything, he just kept staring into her eyes. All of the sudden her eyes widen in shock when she saw the male raccoon began moving closer.

"Wait is he trying to kiss me?!" she thought to herself as she found her face only centimeters away from Galleth's.


	3. Battle

Chapter 3

Nicola didn't say a word as Galleth leaned close to her, she could feel his warm breath on her face. That was when Galleth finally realized what he was fixing to do, quickly he jerked away from her, letting go of Nicola's chin. He ran his fingers through his fur, he couldn't believe he was about to kiss Nicola. The female raccoon's ear slightly flattened against her head, she was a bit nervous about when she thought Galleth was going to go through with the kiss, but now the fact he backed out made her a bit sad.

"I um... I'm sorry for my actions." Galleth said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh it's alright." Nicola lied.

Without a word the female raccoon got up and moved to the other side of the fire. She reached into her bag and pulled out an old, brown blanket. She laid down on her side where her back was facing Galleth and pulled the blanket over her body. The male raccoon sighed as he rubbed his fingers against the temple as his forehead, he couldn't believe that he almost kissed Nicola. His thoughts began speeding through his mind, every single time he tried to tell himself that he was in love with Angelica the feelings he had for her would grow dimmer and dimmer. That was when he had realized that he was falling in love with Nicola, when he thought about it he did admire how she stood up for herself when she insisted on accompanying him on his quest, he never did see that a lot in women around th village. Another thing he realized he liked about Nicola was her bravery, the thought actually touched him about that the female raccoon actually risked her life to try to save him. Finally the last thing he liked about her was her kind nature, she had taken care of him when he had passed out.

Galleth took in a deep breath, coming to the realization that he will never feel the same way he once did about Angelica, his heart had been stolen by Nicola. The male raccoon stared up at the trees, despite the branches being crowded together, he could see glimpses of the night sky, he figured that was why Nicola said the area they were in was more safe than other areas in the Shadow Woods. Remembering that he still needed to save Angelica, Galleth laid down on the ground, placing a hand on his chest where Nicola had tended to his wounds. He glanced over the female raccoon before closing his eyes and slipping into a deep sleep, he knew that he needed plenty of rest if he was going to rescue Princess Angelica.

The sounds of a struggle come from outside of Angelica's cell which had awoken the female fox from her slumber. She ran up to the door and pressed her ear up against the wooden the door, trying to figure if it was Galleth who had already came to save her. As she continued to listen to her surprise the door instantly swung open. She gasped as she backed away, seeing Eric standing in the doorway holding an orange male fox with a red beard, wearing a brown tunic, black shoes and gloves, by the collar of his shirt. Angelica was shocked to see the that the male fox was in terrible shape, he had cuts and bruises all over his body, making her wonder if Eric really did do all that damage to the male fox or if something worse than Eric did it. Eric dragged the male fox over to the wall where two chains hooked to the wall hung. He threw the male fox against the wall and grabbed a hold of his wrists, taking the chains the male skunk clamped the tight cuffs around the male fox's wrists.

"That'll teach thou for snooping around." Eric said as he got up.

Angelica didn't move until the male skunk had left the room and slammed the door shut behind him. Once she knew it was safe she walked over to the mysterious male fox and kneeled down in front of him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

The male fox groaned as he lifted up his head, coughing up a bit of blood. He blinked a few times, trying to take in his new surroundings. Finally his blue eyes came into contact with Angelica's brown eyes. He groaned once more a he rubbed his head that was throbbing in pain.

"Yes, but who are you?" he said in a weak tone.

"I'm Angelica and I've been imprisoned been imprisoned in here by the same skunk that tossed you in here." she explained.

"Oh so you're one of those typical damsels in distress. Of all the things that skunk had to throw me in with, he throws me in with a damsel." the male fox groaned.

Hearing this made Angelica enraged, she didn't like that he got the impression that all she was doing was sitting around and waiting to be rescued. Whenever Eric wasn't looking she would be checking the large stone bricks to see if any of them had gotten loose from time, she had been wanting to escape ever since she was first thrown into her cell, she rather try to survive in the Shadow Woods than be a prisoner of a skunk.

"Thou should learn to hold thy tongue! I happen to be a princess and the way you are talking to me could easily get yourself executed!" she snarled.

"Oh great a kidnapped Princess, that makes it all the better." the male fox said sarcastic tone.

Angelica clenched her teeth in anger, she would have slapped the male fox if it weren't for the fact he was already badly injured. She sharply turned her back toward the male fox, wondering if Eric had brought him in on purpose because he knew that the male fox would annoy here. The male fox let out a sigh and shook his head when he saw how enraged he had made the princess by his statements.

"Sorry miss... uh i mean your highness. I'm just angry at the fact I had just losteth a battle and I never losteth a battle in my entire life. Then to pour salt on the wound that skunk had me locked up in here where I'm suppose to stay till I die. My name is James Fox by the way." he said.

Angelica turned back toward James to see a small amount of regret in eyes, she could tell that he was indeed sorry for what he had said to her and that it was his frustration talking. Looking back at the male fox she got a better look at his wounds, seeing how badly they were bleeding. without a word she ripped off a bit of her dress and began cleaning James' wounds.

"You don't have to do that your highness." the male fox said.

"Please just call me Angelica, you don't need to use the royal formalities. Also I doing this because I want to. You don't want these wounds to get infected do you?" she replied.

"No, not really... Angelica." James replied.

Angelica smiled at the fact that the male fox had called her by her name. As she continued cleaning his wounds she knew she had to find a way our for both of them and she intended to keep trying until they finally escape or when Galleth finally arrives to defeat Eric Le Paradox.

That next morning Galleth woke up and put back on his tunic and armor, he knew they had to get back to finding Angelica. He walked over Nicola and gently shook her by the shoulder, the female raccoon yawned as she sat up, stretching her arms. She stopped when she noticed Galleth was staring at her with his mouth slightly open.

"Is there something wrong Galleth?" she asked.

Galleth shook his head, realizing that he was staring at Nicola. He knows that his feelings for her kept growing, but he wanted to be sure of he was actually feeling love instead of a desire for her beauty.

"Nothing is wrong, just making sure you're awake." the male raccoon lied.

Nicola blinked in confusion, she wasn't completely convinced by Galleth's lie, but she knew they had to focus on their task at hand. the two gathered up their things and climbed up on the horse, making their way deeper into the Shadow Woods. As they kept riding once again the two raccoons said nothing to each other, fearing that the may say something wrong. Nicola really wanted to know why had Galleth had tried to kiss, she wondered if her really did like her or if he got hit on the head while fighting the wolves and was just simply confused at the moment. Nicola kept guiding Galleth, telling him which way to go and what place would lead to where Eric was holding Angelica. Though unknown to them they were being watched by shadowy figures that were creeping around in the trees and bushes. Galleth's horse sensed them and started to get a bit startled. As the male raccoon tried to calm the horse down, Nicola looked around the area nervously, her father had told her about a dangerous tribe that had lived in the Shadow Woods nearly all their lives. Just then tigers lunged out of the bushes, they succeeded in knocking both Galleth and Nicola off of the horse.

Quickly Galleth scrambled to his feet and told Nicola to run to safety, but this time the female raccoon wouldn't obey. Nicola refused to sit by and watch Galleth get hurt, she wanted to help. She broke a branch off of a tree and held it in an attack position, she would help fight off the tigers any way she could. Unlike the wolves the tigers weren't feral, in fact they were the very tribe that Nicola's father had told her that lived in the Shadow Woods. The tigers roared as they had their weapons out, prepared to fight, Galleth and Nicola were outnumbered, but that wouldn't stop them from fighting against the odds. Finally lunged forward ready to attack the two male raccoons, Galleth swung his lance, knocking away one of the tigers. Nicola slammed the tree branch down on one of the tiger's head, knocking him unconscious. They kept fighting, knocking out and injuring different tigers till finally there was a roar louder than the other. All the tigers backed away to reveal a huge tiger that carried a large sword. Galleth and Nicola were distracted by this, causing them to get seized by two of the tigers. The large tiger walk up to the two raccoons and leaned down where his face was in front of their faces.

"Why do you two dare to trespass on our territory?" the tiger snarled.

"We were just trying to get through. You're territory was the safest path among the others!" Nicola explained.

The male tiger turned toward the female raccoon and narrowed his eyes in front of her.

"So you know you're way around this forest?. In that case I will not let you leave! Put the female to work with the other slaves! Slaughter the male!" the male tiger snarled.

Nicola began to panic as the tiger that had a hold of her began to drag her off. She panicked and screamed as she watched two tigers force Galleth down on his knees and place a sword against his throat. Galleth clenched his teeth, he knew he had to think of something fast otherwise he would be slain and Nicola would become a slave to the tiger tribe, that was when he came up with an idea.

"Wait, how about we make a little wager." Galleth started, "Let us battle like the men we are, if I win you must let me and my female companion go."

The male tiger rubbed his chin as he thought about the wager, finally he nodded his head toward the tigers. The two tigers that had ahold of Galleth released him and gave him back his lance.

"Alright I accept your wager, but if you try any funny business..." the male tiger said before snapping his fingers, causing the tiger that had a hold of Nicola to place a sword against her neck, "The female shall be slain."

Nicola stared at Galleth with pleading eyes, she was scared that the male raccoon was going to die.

"Alright I promise I won't cheat, but prepare yourself to see what the Cooper name can do." Galleth said.

The male tiger roared before charging toward the male raccoon, swinging his sword. Galleth blocked the sword with his lance and tried stabbing the male tiger. Unfortunately the male tiger dodged the attack and swung his sword once more, this time he made contact with Galleth. Thankfully for Galleth's armor it protected his shoulder, only causing the silver armor to get dented a bit. The male tiger roared in anger before going in for another charge, this time Galleth managed to jump over the male tiger and landing behind him. Thinking fast he swung his lance, knocking the male tiger to the ground and leaving a cut on his back. The male tiger snarled in anger and before the male raccoon could react he was pinned to the ground. Galleth clenched his teeth as the male tiger tired pressing his sword down onto his neck, the only way the male raccoon was able to prevent this was by pushing up with his lance. Finally with one mighty push he managed to knock the male tiger off of him. Before the male tiger had a chance to move Galleth ran at full speed, threw his lance up in the air before jumping up to grab the lance and slam it down on the male tiger. A loud roar of pain came from the male tiger as he collapsed on the ground, blood pouring from his mussel. The other tigers stared in shock that the their leader had been beaten by the male raccoon. Galleth walked up to the male tiger's collapsed form and pointed his lance at his neck.

"I believe we had a deal." he said as he pushed the lance a bit closer to the male tiger's neck.

The male tiger snarled before saying "Release his mate."

Galleth was taken back by this just as much as Nicola was. They had no idea what gave the male tiger the impression that they were together. It was true they were traveling and fighting together, but they shown no signs of being a couple. Nicola sighed relief when they tiger that had a hold of her moved his sword away and let her go. Quickly she ran over to Galleth and hugged him tightly, crying about how scared she was that he was going to die in that battle. The male raccoon gently comforted her as they made their way back to his horse. they both climbed on and took off, going far away from the tiger tribe. The male tiger got off of the ground, wiping blood away from his mussel. From that moment on he swore vengeance against Galleth, but if he never does get that revenge he will make sure that it he would pass down to his descendants his merciless and conniving ways, that way one of them will eventually lure one of Galleth's descendant into a trap of their own.

Later that day, nightfall had once again fallen onto the land, Galleth and Nicola had stopped for the night since the female raccoon explained that it was too dnagerous to travel at night. the only problem was that night was colder than the others. Galleth sat next to the fire, his thoughts once again returned to what he thought about Nicola. The more he thought about it, the more he knew it was more than just an attraction to her beauty, he had actually fallen in love with her. He knew that once he rescued Princess Angelica from Eric that he would have to tell her how he no longer has the feelings he once had for her. He was awoken from his thoughts when he heard Nicola shivering. He saw the female raccoon trying to curl up in her blanket as best as she could to get warm. Galleth frowned at this sight. he couldn't stand to watch her freeze while he was kept warm with his armor. Without a word he began removing his armor, Nicola saw this and was confused.

"Galleth why are you removing thou armor?" she asked.

"I shall be needing to have my armor removed if I am to keep you warm." he replied.

Nicola was surprised by this as she watched Galleth remove the rest of his armor, leaving only his tunic, pants, boots, and mask on. He walked over to the female raccoon and laid down next to her. Galleth was a bit hesitant at first, but he managed to wrap his arms around Nicola and press body firmly against her's. Nicola blushed at the, feeling the warmth from the male raccoon's body. She turned over where her face was facing Galleth's. She raised a brow in confusion when she saw his eyes widen.

"Is something wrong?" Nicola asked.

"Verily." Galleth began, "After all this time, I had been in what I thought I was in love, but now I realize what love really feels like. Nicola I love you."

Nicola was shocked by this statement, so shocked that she didn't notice her and Galleth's face draw closer. For the longest time they stared at each other till finally they pulled into a kiss. At first it was a soft kiss, but it ended up turning into a passionate kiss. Nicola fingers trailed down Galleth's chest as they continued to kiss.

Later that night Galleth glanced down at Nicola who was sound to sleep on his bare chest. He couldn't believe he actually slept with her, but he was glad that he understood what being in love felt like. The activity he did with Nicola made both him and her feel bliss as they shared their love. Though he knew one thing remained now he finally could settle his thoughts on whether he loved Nicola or not and that was why was the reason Eric Le Paradox kidnpaped Angelica in the first place.


	4. Thoughts

Chapter 4

Galleth rubbed his eyes as the sound of birds chirping reached his ears. He blinked a few times to see some small birds sitting on the branches, he knew that morning had come and it was time to continue on their quest once again. He laid his hand on Nicola's bare shoulder and gently nudged her to get her to wake up. Instead of waking up Nicola nuzzled her head a bit on Galleth's bare chest, letting out a small moan. Seeing she wasn't quite awake Galleth nudged her shoulder once more, hoping this time she would awaken. The female raccoon let out a yawn as she opened up her eyes and glanced up at the male raccoon she was lying on. Her ears twitched when she heard the birds chirping, she was a little bit surprised that morning had already come.

"Did you sleep well?" Galleth asked.

"I slept perfectly after what had occurred between us." Nicola replied.

"Well it's good you got enough rest. Though now we got to go back to searching for Princess Angelica." he said.

The female raccoon nodded before they both got up and got redressed in their clothes. Nicole still couldn't believe that Galleth had confessed that he had grown feelings for her last night. She knew that she had to admit to herself that the same thing happened to her over the time she had spent with the male raccoon, she liked how honorable he was and she had to admit that she did indeed found Galleth devilishly handsome. They gathered up the last of their thing and climbed up on the horse, Nicola told Galleth that they were getting close to where Angelica was being held prisoner.

Eric paced back and forth in front of Angelica's cell, he was tired of waiting for Galleth so he could finally see the male raccoon fall in battle. He took in a deep sigh and set down on a rock, thinking about how he wanted to use his archery skills to become a better thief than Galleth. he closed his eyes as he thought about the entire reason why he wanted to beat Galleth at his own game. Unknown to the male raccoon Eric actually descended from a family line of thieves as well, the only problem was that the Le Paradox Clan were actually terrible thieves, always overshadowed by the Cooper Clan. Eric remembered how when he was younger and his father told him tales about how the Le Paradox clan's rivalry go all the way back to very ancient times. Though every single time the Le Paradox Clan would try something to bring their family line into the light, the plan would fail and they would remain in the shadow of the Cooper Clan. Eric opened his eyes when he heard someone approach him. he quickly turn to see who it was, when he did he had quickly sat up, the person beofre him was the cloaked figure Nicola saw him with in the tavern.

The cloaked figure walked around in a slow circle around Eric, making the male skunk nervous. Finally the cloak figure stopped and turned his back toward Eric. the cloaked figure stared down at the open path in the forest that lead up to the ruins of the castle.

"Are you sure that Cooper will be here soon?" the cloaked figure asked.

"Yes, if I'm correct that tavern wench that over heard us is probably guiding him since he does no know his way through the Shadow Woods. There are the risks that he ran into either the creatures of the woods or that pesky tiger tribe, but knowing Cooper he probably made it through." Eric replied.

The figure said nothing as he kept staring at the pathway, Eric didn't dare say anything, fearing the cloaked figure would become enraged if he even tried to speak. Finally the cloaked figure turned to look a the cell where Angelica and James was being helped.

"Are you sure you took care of our snooping guest?" he asked.

A smirk formed on Eric's face before replying "I took care of that guy. Chaineth him up and made sure he stays there until death."

"Good, we can't let Cooper nothing anything about what lies ahead for him." the cloaked figure said.

Unknown to either Eric or the cloaked figure, angelica had heard everything by having her ear pressed to the door. She backed away from the door and quickly began tapping on stones once again, trying to find a loose on, now she had another reason to try to get out of her cell. James sighed and shook his head as he watched the female fox find a way out of her cell, he figured that it was a lost cause, that the person who threw him in there in the first place knew that no one could escape the cell. Angelica beat more frantically on the cell she needed a way out, at first her beats were quick and precise, but over time her fits hit against the stone slower and slower. Finally the female fox slumped down on the ground and buried her head in her arms. James took in a deep sigh when he saw how broken Angelica looked, he wished he could walk over to her and comfort her, but the chains keeping him hooked on the wall prevented him from doing so.

Angelica lifted her head when she heard the cell door open, Eric actually came walking in with a single piece of bread. He had brought that food for the female fox since he wanted to give her just enough food to keep her alive. Eric tossed down the piece of bread onto Angelica's lap before turning toward the male fox he kept chained to the wall. The male skunk smirked when he saw James glare at him before leaving the cell and slamming the door behind him. Making sure no one could see her, Angelica crawled over to James.

"Here eat this, it'll keep you alive." she said a she broke of a piece from her piece of bread.

She lifted the piece up to James mussel and placed it in his open mouth. Once that was done she quickly crawled back to the other side of the cell and began eating what was left of the bread. James hid his chewing as much as he could so that way Eric wouldn't have discovered that the female fox had fed him, he feared if the male skunk found out he would probably start starving Angelica as well just to make sure he doesn't get any food.

"You know I never did find out, why did that skunk kidnap you in the first place?" James stated.

Angelica let out an annoyed sigh, she didn't like being reminded why she was kidnapped in the first place and the fact she managed to get kidnapped by a skunk of all things. With a deep breath, she figured she might as well tell the male fox the whole reason why she's there.

"Eric Le Paradox had me kidnapped to lure Sir Galleth Cooper so he can fight him for an unknown reason, he's got it stuck in his head that he can actually beat Cooper. He plans for when Cooper falls in battle to demand my father give him the required amount of gold for my release." she explained.

"Sir Galleth Cooper, I've heard of him, he's one of the greatest and noblest thieves in England. He is almost as famous as Robin Hood." James said.

"Cooper is anything, but noble. Honestly why is he a thief if he wants people to precieveth him as noble? When I become queen I want to uphold the law, that is a noble thing, but stealing something that does not belongeth to you is not a noble thing." Angelica repliedas she crossed her arms.

James shook his head before saying "You barely know anything about Galleth don't you. It is true that Galleth Cooper is a thief, but he is not a typical thief. At first I thought the same way as you, believing he was just like any other thief. Then I witnessed him steal from a wicked tax collector that had been raising taxes so much that my village was struggling with life. When I saw him run through the town with that bag of gold it made me think about the other people he had stolen from. Think about it Angelica, he only steals from wicked nobility, whether you like it or not Sir Galleth Cooper is not a normal thief, he's a thief of honor."

The female fox froze upon hearing these words, she never had thought about Galleth's motives for stealing before, she had always assumed he just stole things for the sake of greed rather than to take away wealth from the wicked people that stole it in the first. She turned toward James, her brown eyes filled with a bit of regret about how she treated Galleth. She still found it a bit ridiculous how he can be a bit over dramatic at times and she still doesn't have any feelings for him, but now because of James, she would start treating the male raccoon with a little more respect.

Nicola glanced around the at the dark woods as she clung onto Galleth, for once they weren't being attacked by anything that day. She was relieved by this since the first day they were in the Shadow Woods they were attacked by wolves and the second day they were attacked by that tiger tribe. She loosened her arms from around Galleth's waist a bit since she felt a bit more calm. That was when she noticed something sticking out of Galleth's bag. Her curiosity got the best of her as she reached in the bag and grabbed firmly a hold of the object. She pulled it out and to her surprise she saw it was an old book. Nicola ran her fingers across the cover, her eyes studying the simple raccoon face symbol on the cover. Finally her eyes settled on the cover, seeing the book was called the Thievus Raccoonus.

"I figured you would notice that book sooner or later." Galleth said without even having to look at Nicola.

The female raccoon gasped out of surprise, she had no idea that Galleth had noticed that she had been looking at the book.

"After what happened between us I suppose I should tell you about my family history." Galleth started.

He began telling Nicola how he had descended from a family line of thieves, but pointing out that his family were thieves of honor, meaning that they only steal from other thieves. He continued on to talk about how he had ancestors dating all the way back to Egyptian times, he even told her about his ancestor Salim Al Kupar who was from Arabia and not only was the leader or the forty thieves, but also the creator of the move the Cobra Climb. Galleth even decided to talk about his father, telling about how he had pulled off great heists by stealing from wicked templars that tried to use their power to gain riches beyond anyone can dream,

"When I was eight my father gave me the very book you now hold in your hands and began training me in the ways of the Cooper Clan. Unfortunately he din't get to teach me much. When I turned nine there had been a mysterious enemy that had attacked my village, my father left with a group of men to defend their home against the mysterious attacker. I never saw the battle, but by the end of the day nearly all the men that had fought had been slain, including my father. My mother tired to move on with life, but eventually her grieving affected her hear and she died, leaving me an orphan." Galleth explained.

Nicola laid her hand on the male raccoon's shoulder, she felt sorry that Galleth ended up losing both of his parents at the age of nine,

"If it helps, I never really knew my parents. I was raised by the tavern owner actually. He says it was a rainy day in fall when he had been closing up the tavern. Before he heard a knock at the front door. Curious, he decided to see who it was. When he opened the door no one was there, the only thing there was a small baby that lay crying in a basket. That baby was me. Being kind hearted person he was, the tavern owner took me in and raised me like his own daughter. I never could figure out why my parents left me at the door of the tavern, perhaps that couldn't keep me or perhaps they didn't want me. All I know is I never did find them, I don't know if they're dead or alive. The tavern owner was the closest thing I had to a father." the female raccoon said.

Galleth's ears flattened in sadness upon hearing the story that Nicola had just told him, he couldn't believe that her parents abandoned her like that. He believed if Nicola's parents truly loved her they would have found a way to take care of her if it was money problems. Though a part of him was glad that at least Nicola was raised by a kind and caring person, there was no one there for him when his parents had died. As they kept riding deeper into the Shadow Woods, Galleth noticing that Nicola quickly had put the Thievius Raccoonus away and tightened her grip around his waste.

"Galleth we're fixing to run into more danger." she warned, "We may end up encountering the Shadow Woods' bears. These bears are feral, but they are worst than the wolves that we had encountered. They huge beasts with red glowing eyes,be very careful when you come across the, they will attack on sight."

Galleth nodded as he cautiously made his horse move forward. His grip on his reigns tightened as he searched his surroundings, looking for any signs of the creatures that Nicola had mentioned. They kept making their way through the woods, neither one saying a word in fear that they might alert the bears to their presence. Just then a large snarled filled the air. From the shadow emerged a large black bear with red eyes. Nicola bit her lip when she saw the black bear trun his head toward their direction, spotting them. Wasting no time Galleth jerked on the reigns to his horse, making is begin to run as fast as it could. The bear snarled as it chased after them in pursuit. Galleth glanced back and took his shock he saw the large bear was actually gaining on them. Quickly he handed the reigns to Nicola and traded places with her while the horse was still running.

"Galleth what are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

"I shalleth fight off this deadly bear while you keep making the horse run!" Galleth explained.

"I'm not leaving you behind Galleth!" Nicola yelled.

"Who said I was going to jump off of the horse?" he yelled back.

The female raccoon's brown eyes widen in shock upon realization what Galleth was going to do. With his teeth clenched the male raccoon stood up on the horse's back, making sure to maintain his balance. Once he knew he was steady enough, he got his lance ready to fight off the bear. When the bear tired clawing at the horse while it ran, Galleth managed to stab the bear's paw, making the bear yell out in pain. The bear roared in anger and tired to attack again, but this time Galleth whacked his lance across the bear's face, the sharp end of his lance creating a cut over the bear's forehead. The bear roared in pain at it's injury, but it only stunned him for a little bit since he was able to easily start running again and catch up to them. The male raccoon bit his lip, he knew that no matter what he tried the bear would come after them, leaving him with only one choice. With a battle cry Galleth jumped off the horse and tackled the bear.

"Galleth no!" Nicola screamed as she made the horse abruptly stop.

The bear's and Galleth's bodies tumbled on the ground as they ended up falling down a hill. They kept tumbling and rolling until they hit the bottom, the bear's body landing on top of Galleth. Worried for the male raccoon, Nicola got off the horse and began running down the hill they had fallen down. When she had reached the bottom of the hill, she gasped when she saw the bear's body began to move. She took a few steps back as the bear's body got up more and more, making her fear that the bear would kill her. That was when to her surprise the bear's body tumbled over to the side, revealing a slightly injured Galleth with blood on his armor. She glanced at the bear to see a sharp rock had been plunged into it's heart, she figured Galleth must had done that. Without a word she ran up to Galleth with the look of relief in her eyes.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright. I was so worried when you jumped off the horse." Nicola said.

"Yes quite, but can you do me one favor my fair maiden?" Galleth replied.

"Anything." she said.

"Never let me do that again." he groaned as he began to rub his sore neck that had gotten injured.


	5. Plans Revealed

Chapter 5

Angelica quietly tapped her fists against the stones of the walls of her cell. It had been third day since she she had been imprisoned by Eric Le Paradox inside the cell. She still was left to wonder why the male skunk was so eager to have Galleth come for a battle, but she ignored these thoughts, the important thing for her was to get her and James out of their cell. As she kept tapping against the walls that was when she heard Eric talking to the cloaked figure once again. Curious she pressed her ear up against the cell door and listened carefully to the words.

The cloaked figure paced back and forth impatiently, his anger growing by the second. Without a word he sharply turned toward Eric, glaring at him with his eyes full of rage. The male skunk swallowed a hard lump in his throat, he was starting to fear for his life.

"How much longer will it take for Cooper to get here? You said that with the guidance of that wench that he should be here by now!" the cloaked figure snarled.

"Of course he shalleth be here. There's just the risk he might have ran into some problems along the wa..." Eric started to explain.

The cloaked figure snarled as he swiftly grabbed the male skunk by his throat. Eric chocked and kicked as he was lifted up in the air by the cloaked figure's talons. His heart began racing in fear as he found himself sating into red glowing eyes full of hatred.

"Remember our agreement Le Paradox, I would give you the riches you deserve for bringing Cooper to me, but if Cooper is killed along the way or doesn't come to save this person you claim he cares for deeply, you shall be taking his place." the cloaked figure snarled.

"He's coming! He's coming! I promise you he's coming! Please don't kill me!" Eric pleaded.

The cloaked figure narrowed his eyes before dropping the male skunk down on the ground.

"Hmph no wonder you're family clan is always overshadowed by the Cooper Clan. You're family are nothing, but a bunch of pathectic weaklings that are unworthy as thieves. The only thing useful thing about your family line is their hatred for the Coopers. I could have easily done this by myself, but I sensed your hatred for Galleth Cooper was strong which is useful to me. Do you understand?" the cloaked figure said.

Eric clenched his teeth together, he was enraged at what the cloaked figure had just said about his family. Though he knew better than to speak out against the cloaked figure, he knew how his father told him some of his ancestors tried to approach him to get rid of the Coopers, but in the end the cloaked figure had them slain instead of helping them. He never did come up to the cloaked figure, instead the cloaked figure actually came to him. The cloaked figure had met Eric while he was drinking at the local tavern, stating how he wanted someone sneaky like Eric to help him with the job. When the male skunk heard that job was helping get rid of Cooper he wanted in, wanting the chance to finally get out of Galleth's shadow. Eric had been born into a poor family and he wanted to provide for his family. He was bitter at the fact Galleth's father was a famous knight, providing money for his family.

Eric was able to use his sneakiness to swipe food he couldn't afford to feed his family, but that was never enough for him, he yearned for riches, more riches than he can ever dreamed of. When he heard about the tale of Robin Hood, he got it in his head that if he became an archer like the great theif that he couled be a great thief too and finally bring his family's name to light. Unfortunately he turned out to be very terrible with archery, he tried to get better at his skills while Galleth was becoming more famous for his thieving feats. The more and more the male skunk got angry as he thought about these thoughts. The cloaked figured noticed this, but he was not angry at Eric, he was actually glad that the male skunk was harboring hatred. Eric had no idea that his hatred was only making the cloaked figure stronger.

"I will ask you again Le Paradox, do you understand?" he repeated.

Eric clenched his fist in anger and finally said in a tone of defeat "Yes I understand... Clockwerk."

Angelica gasped as she backed away from the door, it finally now made sense to her why she was taken. She now knew that Eric wasn't the one that wanted to fight Galleth, he was just using her as bait so Clockwerk could fight Galleth. Upon learning this she began more frantically banging on the stones of the wall, trying to find a way out once more.

"Angelica what's wrong?" James asked, noticing the female fox's panicked expression.

She quickly turned toward the male fox, she knew she had to tell James because now she realizes what was at risk.

"Do you know that cloaked figure out there?" she started.

"I don't know him, but he gave me quite the beating. I don't know, just one look into those red glowing eyes that seemed to be filled with nothing, but hatred paralyzed me in fear. Then when he attacked me I felt so much pain from his talons, like if they could cut through anything." he replied.

"Well that cloaked figure that you fought was the infamous Clockwerk." Angelica stated.

"Clockwerk?!" James said in a tone of shock, "The slayer of warriors. Some people say that he is unlike anything they had ever seen. He has killed so many, I even heard a group of knights tried to stop them, but they all end up losing their lives. If that figure truly is Clockwerk then Galleth is entering a danger he doesn't even know about."

"That's why we need to get out of here. If we can escape before he gets here we can stop him and warn him about Clockwerk!" Angelica stated.

She took of her tiara and began using the edge of it to pick the locks to the cuffs clamped around James' wrists. She clenched her teeth tightly as she twisted and turned the crown, her ears twitching to the sounds of the gears within the cuff's lock clank against the metal of the tiara. She squeezed her eyes shut, turning the crown as hard as she could, that was when finally a loud clicked was heard. She open her eyes to see the cuff open up, releasing the male fox's wrist. She didn't say anything as she got to work on the other cuff, repeating the same process until she saw it open up. James rubbed his wrists, glad to finally be free of the cold metal that was wrapped around them for the past three days, Angelica took him by the hands and helped him off of the ground.

"Come on let's find a way out of here." the female fox said.

Though before they could do anything they heard the neighing of the horse. They were too late, Sir Galleth Cooper had arrived.

Galleth's brown eyes carefully scanned the the ruins of an old castle, searching for any signs of Princess Angelica. Nicola bit her lip nervously, the feeling of uneasiness washed over her as they made there way deeper into the ruins. The male raccoon noticed this and without a word he made his horse stop, he decided he would continue on alone, he felt that he needed to face Eric alone since the note demanded him. He handed the reigns to Nicola and gave her a reassuring kiss before climbing off of his horse and venturing deeper into the ruins. He kept a firm grip on his lance as he carefully stepped over some rubble of the ruins, feeling as though he was being watched. His breathing was slow and steady as he walked up some stone steps, when he reached the top, there Eric Le Paradox was waiting for him.

"Well. well, well if it isn't the almighty Sir Galleth Cooper. For once I'm pleased to see your face Cooper." the male skunk said.

"Enough of this madness Eric Le Paradox! Now tell me where you have placed Angelica!" Galleth snarled.

"Hmm didn't quite take you for the one to have a temper Cooper, but I will reveal where I'm holding the lovely princess all in good time." the male skunk replied with a smirk.

"If thou does not reveal the location of where the princess is being held, I shall make you suffer for committing such a treacherous crime against the king!" the male raccoon yelled as the grip on his lance tightened.

"Oh I will tell her where she is, that is if you win the battle." Eric said.

Galleth furrowed his brow in confusion before asking "Why does thou wish to battle me. You're not even a swordsman like I."

When the male skunk heard these words he began to laugh, he laughed so hard he had to hold his hand over his stomach because it began hurting. This ended up confusing the male raccoon even further, he didn't understand how asking an honest question led to the skunk before him to laugh. Eric finally calmed down enough to stop laughing, but the grin never left his face.

"Oh I'm not battling you..." the male skunk started.

Just then the cloaked figure landed on the ground behind Galleth, before the male raccoon could react the figure snatched him up by the neck with his talons. Galleth kicked his legs and chocked as he tired to pry the talon's iron grip from around his neck.

"You shall be fighting me Cooper." the cloaked figure snarled.

With that said the cloaked figure tossed away his cloaked, revealing to be a brown owl with a robotic wing, tail, and eye. Galleth nearly stopped breathing when he saw that the person behind the entire thing was the notorious Clockwerk. Images began flashing through his mind of the pages of the Thievius Raccoonus, he remembered seeing an owl in the background behind his ancestors in every single picture.

"You probably recognize me from that pathetic book that is so precious to your family known as the Thievius Raccoonus. It is quite true that I had been hunting your family for quite a very longtime, some of your ancestors were quite weak against me, especially your father. Oh what a fool your father was, he actually believed he and a group of men could defeat me, well that mistake led to his death." Clockwerk said.

Galleth clenched his teeth in anger, despite the situation he was in, he felt like spitting in the owl's face. He felt nothing, but hatred for the being that had slain so many of his ancestors.

"Now I could kill you this very second, but I like my opponents to be more of a challenge." Clockwerk started, I shall give you the chance to fight for your life. If you defeat me in battle you and the princess shall go free. Though if I win I get the satisfaction of finally ending the Cooper Line. As for Le Paradox, well he will become a very rich skunk with the ransom he is holding with the princess.

"You may be feared throughout all of England, but I promise you upon the Cooper name that I, Sir Galleth Cooper shall be victorious!" Galleth yelled.

"Hmph, so be it Cooper." Clockwerk said before dropping the male raccoon back on the ground.

Galleth scrambled to his feet as the owl lunged for him. Quickly he rolled out of the way, his heart racing at the fact he was now face the slayer of many of his ancestors. Clockwerk narrowed his red eyes as he hissed threateningly, he flapped his normal and mechanical wings as his talons were ready to swipe down on the male raccoon. Galleth gave out a battle cry as he swung his lance across Clockwerk's chest, actually managing to draw blood. The brown owl shrieked in pain, as he held his normal wing as the bleeding the wound. He snarled as he glared at the male raccoon, without warning he managed to start flying again and swoop down behind Galleth, digging his talons into his back. The male raccoon screamed in pain as he felt the razor, sharp talons cutting in his flesh and warm, crimson blood trailing down his back. Though this did not stop Galleth from not continuing to fight, he was bound determined to defeat his opponent.

Nicola bit her lip as she heard the sounds of the battle continue one, she wasn't sure what to do. Galleth would want her to stay where she was so she could remain safe, but it pained her heart whenever she heard Galleth's screams of pain. She placed a hand on her stomach, her heart aching at of fear. She couldn't stand to hear the male raccoon she loved suffer any longer. She jerked on the reigns of the horse, making it run in the direction where the sounds of battle was coming from. She planned to help Galleth any way she could, he would have done the same for her.

Angelica paced back and forth in her cell, her ears twitching every single time she heard the horrified scream of pain that came from Galleth. She blamed herself for the entire situation, she was the one he was having to rescue and now it was because of her that Galleth was having to face a deadly opponent. She walked over to a wall, pressing her back to it and squeezed her eyes shut. James could see how tormented the female fox looked because she was never able to succeed at finding a way out in time to prevent the male raccoon from having to fight for his life. He walked over to her and began rubbing her shoulder.

"Angelica don't blame yourself. It was that scum of a skunk Eric Le Paradox that caused all this. He was the one that was working for Clockwerk all along." James said.

"Though I should have done a better job at preventing myself from being taken in the first place!" Angelica said, "Now because of me Galleth could be out there dying. I can never live with the grief, knowing that I was the cause for his death!"

The male fox opened his mouth to say something in response, but he quickly closed it back up. He could understand why the female fox had blamed herself for all that has happened. It also didn't help that Angelica finally saw Galleth as a good person and not just a regular thief. He looked toward the cell door, he knew what he had to do. Quickly he ran into the door, slamming his body into it over and over again.

"James what are you doing?!" Angelica said in shock.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm breaking down the door so we can get out of here and help Galleth!" James said as he continued to smash his body against the door.

He kept smashing his body against the cell door till finally the door broke open. Angelica gasped both in shock and in happiness, she was finally able to be free of the cell she grew to despise over the three days. She hugged the male fox tightly, surprising him and making him blush a bit before they both ran of to help Galleth.

The male raccoon fell onto the ground, coughing up some blood that had formed in his mouth. He forced himself back on his legs despite the fact they were shaking and on the verge of collaspe. His grip around his lance tightened as he glared at the owl before him, refusing to give up.

"You Coopers are all so foolish when it comes to battling me. Your bravery shall be the death of you." Clockwerk said.

"If I die against you, at least I shall die and honorable death for trying to avenge my family and save another person's life." Galleth said, refusing to let his spirit be broken by Clockwerk.

The owl snorted at the words spoken by his opponent, he believed that bravery was only for the weak, that only fear and hatred would provide someone with great strength. Though he did not care for what Galleth believed in, the only thing important to him was slaying the male raccoon so he may end the Cooper Clan line and take their place as the greatest among thieves, a master thief. Galleth clenched his teeth together as he thought about Nicola, it made him sad to think about the thought of never seeing her again. He just hoped that if she ended alone that she may find someone to treat her kindly. He took in a deep breath as he readied his lance, watching as Clockwerk flew at him for the final attack. Nicola arrived just in time to see the owl head for the badly injured raccoon she loved. Her heart nearly stopped as she watched Clockwerk fly closer and closer to Galleth. The male raccon drew back his lance his eyes full of determination. Finally the two clashed, them striking one another. when they had did this, crimson blood fell down below, covering the gray stones of the ruins.

"Galleth no!" Nicola screamed in horror with tears streaking down her face.


End file.
